Sealing nozzle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a nozzle intended for the application of fluid materials, which at a front end thereof has an aperture opening into a slot. A central portion of the slot is functioning to release most of the material straight ahead. Furthermore, the slot has side portions functioning to release material in sideway directions. In a preferred embodiment, the front end is shaped like a truncated cone with a flat top, in which the slot is formed. The slot is thus divided into three straight portions with the central portion in the flat top and the angle of the side portions defined by the top angle of said cone. Under certain conditions, the jets of material released from the various portions are held together by a surface tension. As most of the material is released from the central portion, the jets from the angled side portions will be deflected towards the center jet, resulting in a jet with a relatively even width, and a resultant coating being thickest in the middle.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A nozzle intended for the application of a liquid material onto an object to coat the object, which at a front end thereof has an aperture opening into a slot, which slot has a central outlet portion functioning to release most of the liquid material straight ahead, and laterally directed side outlet portions, wherein said slot has a straight base at said aperture such that said aperture does not extend into said slot, opposing said central outlet portion, where said side outlet portions extend between said straight base and said central outlet portion, which side outlet portions each distribute released liquid material in a jet with a relatively even width and at an angle to the liquid material released from said central outlet portion, where said front end of the nozzle is shaped like a truncated cone in which said slot is formed, said cone having a flat axial end and an offset portion adjacent said flat axial end, said central outlet portion of said slot formed in said flat axial end, and each said side outlet portion of said slot formed in said offset such that each side outlet portion is offset relative to said central outlet portion of said slot. 
     
     
       2. The nozzle according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said central outlet portion of said slot is straight and said side outlet portions of said slot are also straight and disposed at an angle relative to said central outlet portion of said slot. 
     
     
       3. The nozzle according to  claim 1 , comprising a hollow nozzle body having a liquid material passage formed therein that extends from adjacent a rear end thereof and which is in fluid flow communication with said aperture adjacent the front end of the nozzle. 
     
     
       4. The nozzle according to  claim 3 , wherein said slot adjacent said straight base is narrower than said liquid material passage adjacent said aperture and said liquid material (passage terminates at said aperture, at a certain distance inside said front end, where it is met by said slot, thereby causing a velocity increase in the liquid material being passing through said passage, through said aperture, and into said slot. 
     
     
       5. The nozzle according to  claim 4 , characterized in that said liquid material passage has a narrower portion upstream of said aperture. 
     
     
       6. The nozzle according to  claim 5 , characterised in that said truncated vane has a top angle of 90°. 
     
     
       7. The nozzle according to  claim 6 , characterized in that said central outlet portion of said slot is longer than said side outlet portions of said slot. 
     
     
       8. The nozzle according to  claim 7  wherein the nozzle is adapted to apply the liquid material onto an object that comprises a joint of a car body. 
     
     
       9. The nozzle according to  claim 8  wherein the liquid material comprises glue and the nozzle is adapted to apply liquid glue onto a car body joint. 
     
     
       10. A nozzle intended for the application of a liquid material in a nonuniform distribution pattern, which at a front end thereof has an aperture opening into a slot, which slot has a central portion with a first length, functioning to release most of the liquid material straight ahead, and laterally directed side portions, wherein said slot has a straight base at said aperture extending straight through the nozzle, said straight base opposing said central portion and having a second length larger than said first length, and where said side portions extend between the ends of said straight base and the ends of said central portion, respectively, thereby facing obliquely forward, which side portions are functioning to distribute released liquid material alongside and overlapping said straight ahead released liquid material, where said front end is shaped like a truncated cone having a flat top, in which said slot is formed, said slot being divided into three outlet portions having a pair of said side outlet portions spaced apart by said central outlet portion with said side outlet portions being rectilinear and disposed at angle corresponding to a top angle of said cone, and where said aperture has a nonspherical distal end. 
     
     
       11. The nozzle according to  claim 10  wherein said nonspherical distal end of said aperture is straight. 
     
     
       12. A nozzle for the application of fluid glue in a non-fan-shaped distribution pattern onto an object, wherein the nozzle has an aperture adjacent a frustoconically shaped front end thereof, said aperture opening into a narrower slot, and which said slot has a central outlet portion functioning to release fluid glue straight ahead, and offset side outlet portions functioning to distribute the remainder of the fluid glue being released from the nozzle in jets that each release fluid glue alongside and at an angle relative to the straight ahead released fluid glue. 
     
     
       13. A nozzle intended for the application of a liquid coating onto an object in a non-uniform application pattern, which at a front end thereof has passageway in the nozzle opening into a narrower planar slot, which slot has a central outlet portion with a first length, functioning to release most of the liquid coating from the front end of the nozzle, and a laterally directed side outlet portion disposed on either side of said central outlet portion, wherein said slot has a generally rectangular cross section at a junction where said slot meets said passageway, opposing said central outlet portion and having a second length greater than said first length, and where said side outlet portions extend between said straight base and said central outlet portion, which side outlet portions each release liquid coating in a jet, where said front end is shaped like a truncated cone with a flat top, in which said slot is formed, said slot being divided into three portions, with said central outlet portion disposed in said flat top and said side outlet portions disposed at an angle corresponding to a top angle of said cone, and where said passageway terminates in a substantially straight distal end such that said passageway does not extend into said slot. 
     
     
       14. A nozzle for the application of a fluid sealant onto an object to coat the object, wherein the nozzle has an aperture adjacent a front end thereof, opening into a slot defined by a pair of spaced apart, parallel, and flat fluid sealant guides at the front end thereof, and which said slot has a central outlet portion functioning to release most of the fluid sealant from the nozzle straight ahead, and laterally directed side outlet portions angled relative to said central outlet portion and functioning to release the rest of the fluid sealant from the nozzle in jets that each have a relatively even width and disposed alongside the fluid sealant released straight ahead. 
     
     
       15. A nozzle for applying fluid sealant or glue in a non-uniform distribution pattern onto a car body, the nozzle comprising a body with a frustoconical end, a slot-shaped discharge opening in the frustoconical end, a fluid passage in fluid flow communication with the slot-shaped discharge opening, and a restriction in the fluid passage disposed adjacent the slot-shaped discharge opening where said fluid passage defines an aperture opening into the slot-shaped discharge opening that has a straight distal end. 
     
     
       16. The nozzle according to  claim 15  wherein the slot-shaped discharge opening is defined by a pair of spaced apart and parallel sidewalls that each have an inclined edge at one end and an inclined edge at another end. 
     
     
       17. The nozzle according to  claim 15  wherein the fluid passage has a width and the restriction comprises a second passage disposed downstream of the fluid passage and upstream of the slot-shaped discharge opening wherein the second passage has a width that is less than the width than the fluid passage. 
     
     
       18. The nozzle according to  claim 17  wherein the width of the fluid passage and the width of the second fluid passage are both greater than the width of the slot-shaped discharge opening. 
     
     
       19. The nozzle according to  claim 15  wherein the slot-shaped discharge opening is defined by a pair of spaced apart and parallel sidewalls that each have an inclined edge at one end and an inclined edge at another end, wherein the discharge opening is adapted to discharge the fluid sealant or glue from the slot-shaped opening with a central stream of the fluid sealant or glue that is discharged generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the nozzle body and a pair of side streams of the fluid sealant or glue with one of the side streams being discharged along one pair of the inclined edges at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis and another one of side streams being discharged along the other pair of the inclined edges at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis with both side streams remaining connected with the central stream, and wherein the central stream results in more fluid sealant or glue being applied to the car body than either one of the side streams. 
     
     
       20. The nozzle according to  claim 19  wherein when the nozzle is adapted to be moved relative to the car body in order to discharge a layer of the fluid sealant or glue onto the car body that is thicker in its middle than along its sides. 
     
     
       21. A nozzle for application of liquid sealant or glue onto an object comprising: 
       a nozzle body having a passageway disposed therein that terminates in an aperture that delivers the liquid sealant or glue into a space in between a pair of substantially parallel and straight guides that define a substantially planar discharge slot; and  
       wherein said guides are constructed and arranged to cooperate with the liquid sealant or glue being applied so as to separate the liquid sealant or glue into a plurality of streams discharged from said nozzle body, with one of the plurality of streams discharged from one portion of said discharge slot in a direction generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of said nozzle body and another one of the plurality of streams being discharged from another portion of said discharge slot alongside said one of the plurality of streams and at angle relative to said longitudinal axis such that a layer of the liquid sealant or glue applied is thicker where said one of the plurality of streams contacts the object than where said another one of the plurality of streams contacts the object.  
     
     
       22. The nozzle according to  claim 21  wherein said discharge slot is narrower than said passageway and said comprises a generally cylindrical bore wherein each one of said guides comprises a flat surface that comes into contact with liquid sealant or glue exiting from aperature into said discharge slot and each one of said guides further comprises a generally straight axial outer edge disposed between a pair of offset side edges that extend therefrom such that said axial edges of said guides direct liquid sealant or glue into a first one of said one of the plurality of streams, with said offset side edges of said guides arranged in a first pair of adjacent side edges that direct liquid sealant or glue into a second one of the plurality of streams and a second pair of adjacent side edges that direct liquid sealant or glue into a third one of the plurality of streams. 
     
     
       23. The nozzle according to  claim 22  wherein said guides define a distal end of said nozzle body that has a generally frustoconical shape.